What makes a boat "CUSTOM"

[phebus]

What defines a "CUSTOM" boat from a production boat. Gel design, engine choices, drive choices, layout, interior? What do you think?

[Froggystyle]

Sweet! I saw this thread in the making for a while.... :D

[mbrown2]

Here is another thread that will probably go a couple maybe several or more pages without a single right answer:)

[JetBoatRich]

Originally posted by mbrown2
Here is another thread that will probably go a couple maybe several or more pages without a single right answer:)
I guess it depends on who you ask, right?
I am curious to what the right answer is:cool:

[mbrown2]

I said a single right answer....I am sure there will be a lot of right answers from each persons opinion, but there will not be concensus...

[old rigger]

It's very easy. It's building a boat to what the customer wants.
Not a boat built to what the owner of a company wants.

[Froggystyle]

Originally posted by old rigger
It's very easy. It's building a boat to what the customer wants.
Not a boat built to what the owner of a company wants.
Saucer of milk... table 12
What if they want the same thing?

[77charger]

if you spend more than 30k and buy it so cal then its automatically a custum:D :D :D .going to buy more beer now anyone for popcorn.

[Kilrtoy]

Mrs . Kilrtoy riding in it,
posing on it or
have S@# on it......

[RexRathburn]

This is a pretty sticky subject.
What if I go down to my local hot boat dealer and "custom" order my boat to look like the ones sitting on the showroom floor that were make up by the dealer? I guess I could call that custom, but everyone else would call it "cookie cutter" even if I had a couple different colors or variations to the paint scheme.
Custom to me is doing modifications to your toy (or having the dealer do them) to set it apart from the herd.
Just my .02

[Faster Daddy]

Originall Posted by Rexrathburn:
Custom to me is doing modifications to your toy (or having the dealer do them) to set it apart from the herd.
Right on Brotha! ;)

[Keithb87]

I'd have to say a Custom boat would be any boat that the owner or has modified in anyway from it's stock / original appearance or proformance.
If you have a "cookie cutter" boat, but add graphics to the outside, then it becomes custom.
:D

[BLUBYU]

Originally posted by Kilrtoy
Mrs . Kilrtoy riding in it,
posing on it or
have S@# on it...... That works for me...:D

[MagicMtnDan]

My definition of a custom boat is a brand new boat from a manufacturer that makes the majority of their boats to order based on customers' selection from a list (up to hundreds) of options.
I say "makes the majority of their boats to order" because
1. some custom boat makers make boats for display (showroom floor) that can be purchased. These boats are custom boats but were not made for the customer purchasing them out of inventory.
2. adding decals to a white boat does not, in my opinion, make it a custom boat although it is "customized."
The boat(s) must be made to order.

[Froggystyle]

So far, I agree with 99.5% of the opinions on here.

[Jungle Boy]

Most of the beer can boats we have are custom, due to fact that we choose the bottom thickness, keel thickness, QT-100 steel plating or not, deck and side thickness, gauges desired, pump type, type of steering and so on. I guess that makes us lucky guys. After a few boats, you have a fairly good idea of just what suits your needs. :cool:

[phebus]

My personal idea of custom is, from the point of the boat coming out of the mold (with the colors of your choice) you specify the way YOU want the boat to be rigged. Engine, drive interior, gauges, trim......... you name it. There is no punch list. Custom to me is the fact of YOU deciding YOUR boat, not the builder. If the builder doesn't like it, or doesn't think it will work, he has the obligation to tell you, but the bottom line is he does it my way, or tells me to go elsewhere.

[phebus]

Don't get me wrong, I don't think there is anything wrong with production boats. I just think "custom" is just that.

[Tom Brown]

What if I buy a used Bayliner, strip it down, and rebuild it with unique new gel, blown big block, Aneson drive, superdave013 billet hardware, and have someone build an interior exactly how I want.
Custom?

[phebus]

Originally posted by Tom Brown
What if I buy a used Bayliner, strip it down, and rebuild it with unique new gel, blown big block, Aneson drive, superdave013 billet hardware, and have someone build an interior exactly how I want.
Custom?
Customized.

[Tom Brown]

Originally posted by phebus
Customized.
Good. I will add that into the add when I sell it.

[Starloans]

Quick definitions (Custom)
noun: accepted or habitual practice
noun: habitual patronage (Example: "I have given this tailor my custom for many years")
noun: a specific practice of long standing
noun: money collected under a tariff
adjective: made according to the specifications of an individual
I think it's the last one definition. :D
Wait a minute, this thread has deja vu! :confused:

[Jbb]

Hey Lil Mr ...your thoughts on Tridents?

[mbrown2]

Originally posted by RiverDave
I get a chance to crawl through a completed boat.
RD
If you would layoff the booze, maybe you could walk through one j/k:D :D :D

[Mandelon]

Dave, where can I get some new majiggas?? :D

[mbrown2]

If the manufacture has CUSTOM in their name!:D :D
That was a joke BTW..:)

[SDLifesaver]

A custom boat is any boat you have the control as the consumer or customer to make look and power the way you want it to. It all boils down to what you want as the customer. A perfect example: When we bought our Howard, I wanted some things out of the norm, Gene Willen looked at me and said " See the side of these boats, it says Howard CUSTOM Boats" If that is want you want, we will build it that way. My .02

[MagicMtnDan]

Originally posted by RiverDave
Being able to say I'd like a belly tank, or I'd like Saddle Tanks.
RD
You certainly have the right to ask this one but I question the sanity behind this since I assume the boats are (should be) designed to work with saddle or belly but not either. Now granted this is an assumption (yes I know what that means) but...if I were a boat maker and I had a customer tell me he/she wanted saddle tanks instead of a belly tank or vice versa, IF I had designed and tested my boat with the tank in one of those places but not both, then I would not want the customer to dictate the tanks location.

[SDLifesaver]

OK, you are right.performance tampering at the customer request is not advised, but as far as colors, lay up, custom additions that do not negatively effect performance are what I mean.

[1stepcloser]

Seems there is a consensus emerging here, that being, "built to the wants of the consumer".
I'll agree.
And disagree.
Boyd Coddington. If youre familiar with this name, you know that he is an absolute master of fabricating some of the most Custom cars around. I dont think it could be argued that his cars are not custom.
However, although they are typically going to be owned by someone, Boyd retains full artistic freedom over said vehicle.
He, as the company owner, builds cars to suit his tastes.
Other (wealthy) people see said cars and want to own them.
I think its safe to say that in this example, a vehicle not built to a consumers tastes is still custom.
An individual looking for a high end boat, not neccesarily well versed in the boating lifestyle, not too mechanically inclined, has some coin and wants the coolest thing around might definately be interested in a boat built with all the bells and whistles, all the cool stuff, and will turn heads when he cruises by. He, however has no idea, or maybe doesnt want to invest the time in learning, all the nuances of what the industry has to offer.
In this persons eyes, he bought a very custom boat, with all the same, or more, features as any other custom boat on the water.
He might not have been involved throughout the build, but he knew he wanted the very best he could buy, he just wasnt real sure of what that was.
In contrast is the fellow who has been around, does all his work, knows exactly what he wants, and where he wants it to come from, and will have his boat built to his tastes.
I feel both are still "custom" boats.
One guy is telling you what he wants, the other, you are telling him what he wants.
The end result is the same. In my opinion.
Crownline. I imagine that most on this board would call that a "production" boat, but if I go to shop that boat, I get to choose my colors, interior colors and choice of layouts, engine size, couple of stereo options, in fact they have quite a range of options available to me. Once I am done ordering my boat is is not "built to my tastes", and therefore a "custom" boat?
Most will say "no" for a variety of reasons.
Whatever. My boat's custom. :)

[Infomaniac]

Cougar boats are "custom"
You do not go to a showroom and pick one. It is built for you from your options.
I will have to say. If they do not think a requested gel scheme is attractive, they will not do it. If they think the performance request will be a pig, they will not do that either.
They do have to make sure one of their boats does not leave the factory and look bad for them.

[Kilrtoy]

Pretty much all westcoast builders build them for you, ULTRA is the olny one with boats in stock on a regular basis..........

[phebus]

Just an observation, not a steadfast rule. It seems that the manufacturers of custom boats sell their product themselves, but the manufacturers of production boats use distributors. To me that translates into custom boats are sold on a more personal level where production boats are sold more to the masses at a mass marketed level. That would also seperate the production boats from some of the creative approaches of financing.

[Steamin' Rice]

To me, a custom boat is one that is not like any other boat built in terms of graphics, interior design, hardware, etc... When we had our boat built, we met with the builder and talked with him about what we wanted, and we also talked to the man who would be designing our graphics. We selected the exact gel colors, the fades, and the color and size of the pinstripes in the gel. When the boat was being rigged, we selected the hardware color for the boat, and also had some extra cleats added for convenience. Before the hull was built, we had our builder install a slightly larger than usual fuel tank since we knew we would need it now and then. When the interior was being built, we brought our cooler to the builder and said "make a spot for this to fit inside the cabin" and it was done. We chose to use french stitching in the interior instead of welting. We selected the color of thread that was used in the embroidered logos. We wanted ski racks built into the sides of the V-birth on our boat and they were added. We installed 3 extra gauges and an extra water dump in case we decided to add a supercharger to the boat down the line. We also asked the builder to run a bunch of cabling for stereo components while the boat was being rigged. When we wanted to add an extra footrest in the boat for my wife, my wife sat in the boat and they measured where her feet rested so they would know where to mount the footrest for her.
Our boat is unique and I don't not believe that there is another one out there that has the same things that we do. The are others out there with more options, some with less options, but none with the same options and none with the same graphics. This is because we didn't select "blue and yellow graphic design 3a with option package 2 and stereo upgrade B". To me, it is things like this that make a boat custom. If somebody sees my boat on the water, they know it is me because it is unique.
There are many "production" boats out there with very high quality, higher than some custom boats out there. Formula boats are production boats, but from what I have seen the quality and performance of their boats is excellent. However, if I see a 38' Formula out there I can't tell if it's one of my buddies until I get close enough to see the people inside. If I am out and see Wild Lavey, I know it's him as soon as I see his boat.
I guess that I would say that a custom boat is build with more of a "blank slate" approach but a production boat is built using more of a formula for the boat. Each have their pros and cons, and the quality will be dictated by the builder whether it's a custom builder or a production builder....my$0.02

[Kilrtoy]

Well put Steamed Rice I remember when that boat was under construction , Both out jaws dropped. That is an awesome boat and SHOCKWAVE.

[Dave C]

I should have posted this here:
Using the term "custom" to describe these boats is a euphemism. Marketing is full of euphemisms.
would you spend $100,000++ to buy a boat from someone called Dave's mass-produced Boats? No you wouldn't.
IMO a custom is a one-off. A production boat with some specific features that the owner requested are "customized" to the customer's order.

[LAVEYSABRE575]

Imo majority of all boats are just customized with parts selected to go on a pre determined hull, are the molds custom?Everybody goes in the same mold is that custom? my f350 is lifted with all kinds of gadgets i customized it to my specs is it custom, no it is customized yes. almost all boats have a std. pckg...all we do is up grade i believe that makes it customized...derek

[NorCal Gameshow]

i can say this: i will never look at the word "custom"the same...
it's starting to get a bad ring to it....

[cigarette1]

A boat is custom when it has not been built to a standard spec. I consider multiple choices of engines, colors, guages, standard rigging and misc hardware as part of a standard spec. Are Cigarettes custom, customized or production boats? Most have standard power, different paint jobs, standard cockpits, etc. But you can get a custom Cigarette from the likes of Lip-ship, Martin Marine, National .... They can get unrigged boats and build a total one off custom.
Anyway, most of these so-called California custom boat builders don't have a lot of identity. When I'm crusing the channel most of the "Custom" boats all look the same to me with different paint jobs and power.
I do respect Warlock and Lavey because they are proving their high-performance boats on the race circut.... sort of like Porsche, Cigarette, Ferrari, Skater, BMW, Pantera, Mercedes, Fountain etc. etc. etc.
Flame Away

[Seadog]

The word custom is overused, but it can mean anything from mild to wild. If someone goes to an effort to make a boat unique, that is custom. I had custom vinyl lettering put on my boat, but I would not say that makes my boat custom. Some might and they would not be wrong. If a boat is unique enough that you would find it extremely difficult to put two identical looking models together, that would qualify to me.

[likwidsukr]

A custom in my opinion is a boat that is different than anyone else's boat on more than 1 front not just different paint, also one that the hull is changed by design for looks or performance. Just my $0.02 worth.

[RandyH]

A custom builder to me is one who is willing to read my 9 page single spaced specifications page on what I want and then call me back with confidence and tell me he would be glad to build it that way. Plus add another 2 pages of ideas of his own.
RandyH:D

[Froggystyle]

The only thing I worry about with these definitions, is that it seems to be rewarding offering less, but allowing you to upgrade.
I have read in numerous articles in Hot Boat for an evaluation where they said something to the effect of "Boat was delivered well powered with a 496HO, but it was a $8K premium over the stock 300 hp 350, which would have abysmally underpowered"
So, is it custom because you got to choose to properly power the boat?
I think there are a lot of "custom options" available on boats today that aren't really. They are merely ways to reduce the price of the boat for advertising purposes and such. For example, who would buy a new jet boat without a Place diverter. It should be standard by all estimations. The ability to trim a 21' bowrider is essential, perhaps even a safety concern. But when you go to add it on, you find yourself spending over $1200 to do it... If it came with the Place and Droop, it is no longer custom.
This is reminding me of the Matrix. Choice is an illusion... :D

[eliminatedsprinter]

I agree. I don't think having a variety of engine options factors into the "custom" picture. After all you have a bunch of engine options on any boat you buy custom or not.

[rivercrazy]

Custom is simply the ability to pick and choose what you want. Not everyone's idea of the best is anothers concept of what is actually the best.....
That is what creates "demand" for custom built boats. Not to say there isn't seperate "demand" for production type builders. It just depends on the type of buyer...

[eliminatedsprinter]

This may fall under the classification of DUHHHHH, but here is my definition of a "custom boat".
I would define "custom boat" a boat that is built specifically to the buyers tastes and needs. Ie made to order, with the buyers choosing their own gel coat, seating, deck style, power, etc. At a bare minimum the buyer should be able to design his or her own gel-coat, upolstry, etc, etc....The key to being "custom" is in how much is specfically made to order, not prebuilt. The more specifically made to the buyers specs the more custom it is.

[Seadog]

I have to agree that in any boat or vehicle, the drive options are not what would make it custom. To me a unique dash would make it more custom than the gauges installed. When I was a teen, the concept was to take a stock body and dechrome it to some degree. The desire was to put as much hp as possible into a mild car without the kiddy mods that looked like dragsters but had no real muscle. I remember a Falcon that had 50 series tires within the existing wheel wells using a narrowed axle and custom interior sheet metal. It had four caddy mufflers and a boosted Boss 429 all within a stock body. As hot as this rig was, it was not a custom, it was a lot of things, but custom is meant to be more for appearance items.

[phebus]

Originally posted by Froggystyle
The only thing I worry about with these definitions, is that it seems to be rewarding offering less, but allowing you to upgrade.
I have read in numerous articles in Hot Boat for an evaluation where they said something to the effect of "Boat was delivered well powered with a 496HO, but it was a $8K premium over the stock 300 hp 350, which would have abysmally underpowered"
So, is it custom because you got to choose to properly power the boat?:D
I would think that is why you have to do your homework, and buy from a reputable builder. I wouldn't want to buy a boat from a manufacturer that installed an engine as part of their "standard power" that was not appropriate for that hull. I do want the option however, of upgrading to a more powerfull powerplant.

[Dribble]

The answer seems simple to me. When I go to the local marine dealer to buy accesories, there are Mastercraft, Fourwinns and the like for sale on the floor. I could buy one of those, but what I see is what I get. Including seating configuration, power, stick on graphics, gauges, exhaust confiuration, hardware, interior graphics etc....
I told the builder that I didn't want head rests and wanted flames on the engine cover. I personally marked where I wanted the grab handles and the angle they would be set at. Chose the gauges, the bezels, the exhaust tips, the bimini colors, the color of the steering wheel and boot, which side to mount the Aqua Step. The engine is stock because that's what I wanted. This is a custom boat. The guy who buys it from me still has a custom boat.

[Fhat Cat]

You buy the hull you want...bare(or if you have the means you have your own mold and your own hull). You rig the boat yourself not buying catalog Hardware. Or it is done by other then the manufacture of the hull.

[phebus]

The hull is like a canvas to an artist, a masterpiece in the making....

[Fhat Cat]

Originally posted by phebus
The hull is like a canvas to an artist, a masterpiece in the making.... What a great reply (short) and so true!!!

[wsuwrhr]

bump

[dumbandyoung]

okay so what if you bought it used? then is it custom because the guy you bought it from made it that way.?